Christianity beliefs

• Trinity


  God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - and that these three Persons form a unity
• Trinity


  The word 'tri' meaning 'three' and 'unity' meaning 'one'
• Problem of evil


  The idea that evil can exist alongside an all-loving God produces a problem for Christians
• Omnipotence


  • God is all-powerful
  • Evidence: creation of the world and the resurrection of Jesus
• Omnibenevolence


  • God is all-loving
  • Expressed in God sacrificing his own son for humanity, showing how much he loves all human beings without exception
• Solutions to the problem of evil


  • God gave humans free will, so although he exists he cannot interfere in any suffering humans experience either as a result of choices they have made or consequences from the natural world
  • Experiencing bad things could be a test of faith. For example, in the Holy Bible, Job is tested on many occasions but still keeps his faith in God and ultimately receives a reward
  • Humans need evil to appreciate good. According to many Christians, balance is essential
  • God is beyond human understanding, but God is fair so the good will be rewarded in Heaven
  • Experiencing bad things is all part of God's plan and humans should respond positively
• Christians believe in one God but they believe he exists in three parts or ‘persons’. These are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, known collectively as the Trinity.

  The Trinity is first mentioned in Genesis as part of the creation story, where all three persons of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit are present. Today it is mentioned during many Christian ceremonies and is a central belief of Christianity.
• Just


  • God is fair to all and he forgives those who say sorry for their actions
  • The Psalms say, God is fair and just (Psalm 25:8)
• Omniscience


  • God knows everything
  • Knows every person's inner thoughts
  • Knows all that has happened and all that will happen in the future
• Transcendence


  • God exists outside of our worldly constraints and physical laws
  • God does not live and die as we do - he is eternal
  • Complete understanding of God is beyond the human intellect
• Immanence


  • The belief that God is 'in the world'
  • God has interacted with the world throughout history and continues to do so
  • For example, Jesus being sent to earth
  • Nowadays, people believe that God is immanent, working miracles and answering people's prayers
• God the Father


  • The creator of everything
  • The sustainer of all
  • Transcendent
• The beliefs and teachings surrounding the Trinity can help Christians to gain a deeper understanding of God and how he can be all of the things that the Holy Bible suggests.

  The Trinity defines three distinct divine persons that are not interchangeable, and yet they share the same divine substance, which is only present in these three divine persons.
• God the Son (Jesus)


  • Fully divine and fully human
  • Immanent
  • Personal and so understands human suffering
  • A model for Christian behaviour
  • The Saviour
• St Paul: 'Jesus has "equality with God" (Philippians 2:6)'
• The Gospel of John makes clear that Jesus has always been God's son, even from before his birth
• The Holy Spirit


  • A presence of God in the world today, as stated in the Gospel of John: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17)
  • The immanent part of God guiding the Church
  • A source of strength, courage and wisdom
• The beliefs and teachings surrounding the Trinity can help Christians to gain a deeper understanding of God and how he can be all of the things that the Holy Bible suggests.

  The Trinity defines three distinct divine persons that are not interchangeable, and yet they share the same divine substance, which is only present in these three divine persons.
• The Holy Spirit: scriptural origins

  Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God at work on the Earth. In the scriptures it is often depicted as wind, fire or in the form of a dove. It is through the power and workings of the Holy Spirit that God is known today, and how Christians can know what God wants them to do.

  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles that, when he must leave them, God will send the Holy Spirit who:

  "will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."— John 14:25-26
• The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the Council of Nicea

  AD 325
• Council of Nicea

  • A huge meeting of around 300 bishops from across the Roman Empire, called by the Roman Emperor, Constantine
  • Christians were persecuted and practised their faith in secret, all sorts of different versions of Christian beliefs were cropping up, especially on issues relating to the Trinity
  • The Nicene Creed acted as an official declaration of key points of Christian faith
• Original version of the Nicene Creed

  'I believe...in the Holy Spirit which comes from the Father'
• The Nicene Creed was altered at a council in Constantinople

  381 CE
• Changed version of the Nicene Creed

  'I believe . . . in the Holy Spirit which comes from the Father and the Son'
• Jesus’ birth

  According to the Bible, the Virgin Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel, who told her that she was to have a son and that he would be named Jesus. He would be a divine baby.

  "The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."— Luke 1:35

  The gospels teach that Jesus had a human birth, the story of which is referred to as the nativity. Many Christians celebrate at Christmas to remember that God the Son was born in the person of Jesus:

  "The Word became flesh and lived amongst us."
• Disagreement over whether the Holy Spirit was sent just by God the Father or from the Father and the Son

  Was a big factor leading to a split in the church in 1054 CE
• From this point there were two Christian Churches: The Roman Catholic Church in the West, which accepted the changed version of the Nicene Creed and the Eastern Orthodox Church, who could not accept the change
• Incarnation of Jesus


  When God became present on earth as a human and as the second part of the Trinity - the Son
• Jesus


  Referred to as Christ or Messiah, showed Christians how they should live
• Jesus grew up in a Jewish family and community in Nazareth
• Jesus was a carpenter like his human step-father, Joseph
• Jesus' ministry


  1. Baptised by John the Baptist

  2. Began teaching and performing miracles

  3. Recruited his disciples

  4. Together they taught God's message to many people
• Jesus demonstrated God's love and gave guidance and teachings throughout his life
• Sermon on the Mount


  Contained some of Jesus' most important messages
• Last Supper


  Passover meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion
• Key teachings of Jesus


  • Parable of the Good Samaritan, which teaches Christians to love thy neighbour (Luke 10:30-37)
• Jesus: '"This is my body. … This is my blood."'
• Jesus: '"Do this in remembrance of me."'
• Eucharist


  • Bread and wine used by many Christians to commemorate the Last Supper
  • Christians of different denominations place different emphasis on the bread and wine in the Eucharist
• Transubstantiation


  Catholic belief that the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus during the Eucharist